Deadly Mythogical Creatures
by Dinoluvr
Summary: Luna, Neville, and Hermione decide to play an innocent game of hide and seek when Luna discovers something horrifying. When Hermione doesn't beleive her, what happens? Onshot. Slight Nuna. Written for thegoodgirldoll's challenge.


_**Authors Note: **__Here is a oneshot I did the thegoodgirldoll's mythogical creature contest. Here is my prompt that I received:_

_Challenge Creature: Abada- A Forest Spirit._

_Situation: Luna is playing a childish game of hide and seek when she feels there are Forest Spirits around them. Knowing that the Abada's are vicious in killing prey, Luna tries to convince Neville and Hermione to come out of their hiding places and that they must leave the forest. But as they continue toward the exit, the spirits close in, and only one of them will survive. Neville survives._

_Genre: Dark Romance._

_It was slightly challenging to write, but it got relatively easier as I got deeper into the story._

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Luna smiled wide as she skipped through the bright forest, trying to move silently so she wouldn't alert her friends. She had finally convinced Hermione and Neville to come out here and play hide and seek with her, and she was happy despite everyone else's refusal.

Coming to the edge of a small clearing, Luna peeked in through the trees, gasping at what she saw. In the center of the clearing sat an old woman, who seemed to be glowing under the waning sunlight. A forest sprite, that's what she was looking at. Most people would just see a harmless old lady, but Luna had heard stories of these from her mother. They were extremely dangerous.

Backing away as quietly as she could, Luna turned and ran back the way she had come, shouting for Neville and Hermione to come out of hiding. She was terrified to be honest, and she panicked even more when they didn't respond.

"Guys! I'm serious! There's a forest sprite here!" she called out in a final attempt, hoping beyond hope that they would listen. Her hopes weren't wasted as Hermione finally came out, walking towards her.

"Luna, what are you talking about?" she asked, obviously spooked by her fear. Luna didn't answer at first; she just ran up and hugged her.

"There's a forest sprite loose. My mother told me stories about them, and they're really dangerous. We could all die if we don't hurry up and get out of her." She explained quickly, calling out for Neville. She froze as she heard a scream, a scream that could only be Neville's, and she ran as fast as she could towards his voice.

_Please don't let him be dead, please… _She chanted in her head, nearly cheering in relief when she finally saw him running towards them. "Run!" he shouted, eyes wide with fear as he didn't stop running.

Luna and Hermione obeyed, turning around as they raced away, towards the forests edge. Neville managed to catch up with them soon after, and they were panting heavily by this point from lack of air.

Just before they reached the exit, their last safe haven, an old lady materialized in front of them, the same one from the clearing. She smiled sweetly at them, speaking in an inviting grandmotherly tone. "Hello there, it seems that I need your help with something. Would you be so kind as to come with me to help?" she asked, holding out one of her wrinkled hands.

Neville was shaking beside Luna, but Hermione just looked irritated. "This is your '_forest sprite'_?" she asked, glaring slightly at them. "It's just a harmless woman looking for help." She continued, moving forward slightly.

Luna gasped, darting forward to grip her harm, "Hermione, no! You don't understand, she's only pretending!" she fretted, willing her friend to believe.

Hermione just frowned and shook her arm free, "You guys are crazy. Just watch." She instructed before moving forward indefinitely. She smiled at the woman as she approached, holding out a hand. "Hello, my names Hermione. I'll help you if you want." She said, taking the woman's hand in her own.

Luna squeaked in fear and, grabbing Neville's arm, she turned away and hid her face in his chest. She couldn't watch, and there was nothing she could do to help either. Neville's arms slowly encompassed her as he too averted his eyes, having obviously seen the sprites true form already. Luna could feel him trembling in fear, and she clenched her eyes tightly.

The sprite laughed, a menacing sound, as her voice went from sweet grandmother to horrible demon. Luna heard Hermione's scream and couldn't resist anymore, she clenched Neville's arm and dragged him after her, running away from the gruesome seen behind them. They didn't stop running, Luna fighting her sobs all the while.

They finally reached the edge of the god-forsaken forest, and Luna practically collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably into the grass. Neville sat down beside her, still too stunned to react in any other way besides staring ahead blankly.

He finally put a tentative hand to her back, rubbing comforting circles as he attempted to soothe her. "It's going to be ok Luna… It's going to be ok." He said quietly, though his tone betrayed him. Shaking her head, Luna didn't reply, she just wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him, crying into his shirt. He continued to rub her back, and eventually he could see someone not far off as they headed towards them.

He lit his wand tip, considering it was well after sunset now, and the people noticed as they veered towards him. As they got closer, Neville recognized Ron and Harry and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Nudging Luna, he got her to stand and they walked to meet the two wizards, Neville's hand protectively wrapped around her waist.

"Where have you guys been?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively with a small smirk. "And where's Hermione?" he added after a moment of thought. Harry nodded in agreement, taking in Luna's red-rimmed eyes and Neville's pale features with a worried expression.

Neville took a deep breath, "Hermione's dead… A forest sprite killed her." He said, hoping to sound brave but it sounded much more like a breathless squeak.

Their eyes grew wide, and Ron was the first to speak, sounding angry. "Neville, that isn't funny. You can't just joke around like that!" he growled, in obvious denial. Harry just looked relatively stunned.

Luna sniffled, "It's true." She whimpered, once again on the verge of tears. "She wouldn't listen to me, and now she's dead." She choked out; a sob breaking through her barrier as she quickly buried her face into Neville's shoulder.

"It's alright love." He murmured quietly, stroking her back comfortingly as he looked back at them. Ron ran a hand through his hair, muttering things like, 'it can't be' and 'she can't be dead'. Harry collapsed next to him, eyes wet as he fought back his own tears.

And there they sat, all fighting their own grief as they moon sat over them, and Luna could've sworn she saw it sneer. She pulled away from Neville to wrap an arm around Ron and Harry, wishing she could do something more to help them. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered before pulling away once more and finding solace in Neville's arms.

Silence encircled them, and time seemed unimportant as the moon fell and the sun rose, them still sitting in their own little bubble of pain. Laughing could be heard in a distant part of the forest, seeming to taunt them cruelly.

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_**Authors Note: **__There you have it... My little onshot where Hermione dies once again... I honestly love her, but it just seems that shes always in the wrong place at the wrong time XD Oh well, please RxR :3_


End file.
